Aluminum cans have become one of the most common methods of distributing beverages such as soft drinks and beer. The recyclability of such cans and the value of aluminum have made the saving of empty cans desirable. However in their intact form the volume required for storage of a quantity of empty cans can be very large. When crushed or flattened the cans are more easily managed and take up far less volume. Although aluminum cans can be crushed rather easily, the devices which have been designed to accomplish this task are still capable of exerting compressive forces strong enough to cause injury to a human hand or fingers. The present invention, intended for household use, operates in such a manner that it accomplishes the crushing of a can with a minimum application of force to the device and utilizes a compressive mechanism which closes sufficiently to crush a can to an efficient size but, when no can is in place to be crushed, will not close completely on, for instance, a human finger, particularly that of a child. The device is also completely portable and is capable of being used with its crushing axis in either its upright or horizontal position without being anchored to a wall, counter or other surface.